A number of folding covers have been developed for covering pickup truck beds. Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,844,531 and 4,946,217 (which are incorporated by reference) disclose the general construction and operation of such products. In these products, the front panel, or the panel closest to the cab of the pickup truck, is usually fastened down securely and serves as an anchor for the remaining panels of the cover. In other covers, the front panel can be opened.
One of the challenges with a folding cover is to make the cover as watertight as possible. Water can infiltrate the interior of the pickup truck bed through the junctions of adjacent panels and under the outer edges of the panels. Cross winds and air flow generated by driving a truck can force air and moisture under the side and front edges of the cover.
Applicant's prior patents and others disclose covers employing baffles at the side edges of panels to deflect side way air flow. Such covers also include resilient seals between the cover and the sides of the pickup truck bed. Side baffles constitute an extra expense and require a reasonably close fit with the cover. Further, baffles can channel water that seeps between the baffle and the cover into the interior of the bed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cover for a pickup truck bed that resists sideways water penetration without the use of side baffles.